


This Is Where It Starts

by PupcakePls



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 19:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12239448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PupcakePls/pseuds/PupcakePls
Summary: Multi-chapter modern AU about the girls starting university as flatmates and the many adventures that will bring. Slow-burner but hopefully worth it in the end! (Teen and Up rating for now...)





	This Is Where It Starts

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So a few of you said you'd love to read more of my writing so this is my gift to you haha, hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as you did my other story! 
> 
> (I'm a third year film production student at university myself currently and with that comes a lot of work so I'm not making any promises on how regularly this will be updated, but I will definitely try my best!)

**September 21st**

Patience Mount was not new to the notion of living and studying away from home. She had attended various high-brow boarding schools since the age of 11 and had grown accustomed to its particular way of life; classes from 8:30am until 3pm, dinner at 6pm, then lights out at 10:30pm. Easy. But this was different. She was an adult now and she was going to university. There would be no curfew. No 6pm on the dot school meals. And, if she didn’t feel like it, no classes on certain days either. Her life was her own now and these next few years would be completely what she made of them.

After a summer spent fretting and worrying that she was forgetting to buy or do something vital for this next big chapter in her life, move-in day had finally arrived. September 21st marked the beginning of adulthood in her eyes and she couldn’t be more excited for it to begin.

Except she could.

It just so happened that the girl who doesn’t get ill, gets ill on the most important day of her life so far… with a stinking cold of all things.

Patsy stood outside the pristinely white 5-storey building she would call home for the next year, not with her back straight and eager eyes, but slumped with eyes so tired that actual shopping could be carried in their bags. She had wanted to use this opportunity to start afresh and making a good first impression played a vital role in that process, but in the state she was in, meeting her new flatmates was the last thing she wanted to do. Well that, and carry all her belongings up ten flights of stairs to the top floor whilst only being able to breathe out of her mouth (and that’s only when she wasn’t coughing or spluttering everywhere).

With a sniff and a sigh, Patsy picked up the first box of many and made her way upstairs, reaching the top floor even slower than she thought she would. She went through the door and was instantly greeted by the sound of laughter and subtle banging as things were being organised and arranged inside the other girls’ rooms. Looking up and down the corridor, she worked out that her room was the one on the left at the end by the window. Room 503.

She opened the door to reveal a rather small room fitted with all the basic furniture one would expect to find in a halls of residence – a fitted wardrobe behind the door, a small single bed along from that against the wall, a large window on the far wall, a desk with a shelf above it on the wall opposite the bed, and then following on from that, a tiny en-suite bathroom.

Patsy took a few steps inside and placed the box on the bed, sitting down next to it whilst taking in her new surroundings. This would be her space - her home - for the next year and she was determined to make it her own.

After what felt like hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro and back, all Patsy’s belongings were finally in her room and all that was left to do now was unpack. However, the mixture of her medicine and all that exercise had left her completely worn out so they only thing she could do was grab a pillow and a sheet and go to bed. She could never have imagined that her first wild night at university would involve going to bed at 4pm on a bare mattress, with only a sheet to use for warmth. She didn’t even have the energy to introduce herself to her new flatmates even though she knew it was the polite thing to do; the muffled giggles and banging still audible as she drifted off to sleep.

Patsy awoke four hours later to the sound of loud music being blasted from the small kitchen positioned two doors down from her room. The laughter from earlier had escalated and the popping of bottle tops had started. The other girls had obviously finished unpacking and were now starting their possible life-long journey of friendship the only way they knew how: with booze, music and funny stories. The plagued redhead knew that tonight would be crucial to her time at university, and against her better judgement, decided to brave it and get up. She wiped her eyes, put on her favourite hoodie, tied her fiery hair into a messy bun and made her way to the kitchen.

She poked her head round the door and saw three girls sat chatting and nursing beers, and barely made it one step into the room before being spotted by the glamourous blonde one.

She raised her bottle in Patsy’s direction with wide eyes and a big smile, the other two girls giving a small cheer as they turned to see a new face. “Hello sweetie!” she beamed, “you must be the girl that moved in earlier but hasn’t made a peep since getting here! I’m Trixie and I live in the room next to yours.” She held her hand out for Patsy to shake.

Patsy gave her an apologetic smile. “I would love to shake your hand but I’m afraid I’m rather ill and don’t want you to catch it. I went to bed as soon as my last box reached my bedroom floor and I’ve only just surfaced.” She scrunched her nose up slightly in embarrassment before introducing herself, “My name is Patsy.”

She looked over at the two other girls who both introduced themselves in turn. The one with the short brown bob was Barbara and she was from Liverpool and next to her was Winnie who grew up next door to a convent.

“If you need any Lemsip or throat sweets, I’m your first port of call!” Barbara chimed merrily, “my dad is a very thorough man and decided to provide me with a whole chemist’s worth.”

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” Patsy replied as the laughter kept flowing.

“There’s only one last girl to meet now” Trixie stated, “she’s going to be living in the room opposite yours I believe Patsy, but I don’t think she’s turned up yet. Looks like you’re not the only one late to the party!” The blonde winked in Patsy’s direction. “Speaking of, were you going to join us for a drink or are you definitely not well enough to imbibe?”

Patsy coughed and shook her head. “No, I’m afraid this time was more of just a hello. Hopefully I’ll feel well enough to join you properly tomorrow night though?” She looked around in question, hoping that they would be doing something similar again next time and all three girls smiled and nodded.

“That would be lovely,” Winnie smiled genuinely, “but you’ve got to get well first so back to bed with you I think!”

Patsy started coughing just as her sentence ended, proving her point perfectly, and the girls couldn’t help but laugh.

“I think you’re right,” Patsy said as she got up and headed for the door, “Sorry you lot had to meet me in this state, I promise I don’t look or sound like this all the time!”

The girls waved her off and she made her way back to bed. That went so much better than she anticipated, and they didn’t seem to care that she looked like something a cat dragged in.

Patsy went to bed that first night filled with happiness and high hopes for the next 3 years of her life.

 

XXXXX

 

She didn’t sleep through the night however, and awoke at 5am in a fit of coughs and wheezes. Pulling the duvet over her head, she tried to muffle the sound but it was to no avail as someone gently knocked on her door. Before she even had the chance to get up and answer it, the door had already been opened and a slightly less glamourous looking Trixie was creeping in, clad in silk pyjamas carrying a mug of something hot.

“Patsy, sweetie, you sound like you’re actually on death’s door so I’ve made you some honey and lemon tea to ease your throat.” The small blonde girl knelt beside Patsy’s bed and handed her the steaming mug, giving her a small smile as she did so.

Patsy was taken aback by this girl’s kind gesture and took a sip to show that she appreciated it. “Thank you,” she croaked, “sorry for waking you up.”  
Trixie simply waved her hand and shrugged as she pulled herself up and made her way to leave. “Oh don’t worry, I’m an early bird anyway. This has just given me a head start!”

Patsy smiled as she brought the mug back up to her lips and inhaled the lemon scented steam.

“Goodnight, try to get some more sleep.” And with that Trixie was gone.

Patsy gladly finished the drink and did manage to fall back to sleep, waking up later that morning feeling quite a lot better than she did the day before; whatever magic Trixie cast on that drink did the trick.

She peeled herself from the tangled sheet and pulled her hoodie back on as she began sorting through the mound of boxes piled by the desk. Being as organised as she was, she had labelled each one with a description of its contents, so finding the cereal and a bowl was not a hard task. Getting milk for said cereal might be, however. Patsy thought that bringing chilled foods on a 5-hour car journey to uni would be stupid, but now, standing hungry and fighting off a monster cold, she felt like the stupid one.

Patsy left her room and headed for the kitchen in hopes that one of her new friends would be up and their generosity would be on par with Trixie’s. When she got there, she was greeted by the sight of Barbara stood buttering her toast.

“Morning.” Patsy croaked quietly having not realised how last night’s coughing had affected her voice. She put a hand to her throat and pulled a face as she walked to the table in the middle of the small room and placed her cereal and bowl down.

Barbara turned to her and giggled sympathetically, “I would say good morning but I’m not sure it is for you?” She eyed up the items on the table, “also it looks like you’re a crucial ingredient down. Do you need a splash of milk?”

“Oh, yes please.” Patsy started pouring out a bowl of the crunchy oat clusters as Barbara retrieved her milk from the fridge and handed it to her. “I didn’t bring anything chilled with me because I thought it would go off on the journey here, but I’m regretting that decision now.” She rolled her eyes at herself as she poured the milk. “I actually do feel much better today though, I just think the coughing last night hurt my throat more than I thought. Sorry if it disturbed you at all.” Patsy almost grimaced at the thought of having possibly woken everyone up on their first night from home.

“I slept like a log, so you have nothing to worry about! I’m glad you’re feeling better though, possibly well enough to join the three of us on our trip to town in a bit?” Barbara asked as she put the milk back and Patsy joined her at the table.

Patsy looked at her apologetically. “I think I’m just going to have a duvet day today, once I’ve actually made my bed that is, and try and get as well as I can before joining you guys properly tonight.”

Barbara smiled as she ate her last bite of toast. “Good plan. Last night was fun and we were all sad to see you have to go back to bed.” She got up and put her plate by the sink and made her way to the door. “I’ll write my number down on a note and leave it in here when we leave so that if you do feel better and want to come and meet us, you can give me a call and I’ll tell you where we are.”

Patsy smiled and swallowed, “Thank you.”

Barbara smiled back as she opened the door and left Patsy to finish her last few mouthfuls.

 

XXXXX

 

It had been just over an hour since the girls left and during this time, Patsy had made start on unpacking and settling into her room. Her bed was finally made, her clothes were all hung up or folded in the drawers, her toiletries were placed around the bathroom and her desk was already looking like a real work space. She had brought a few posters and photos from home that she wanted to decorate the walls with and just as she was about to pin the first one up, she heard the door to their floor open and close. She would have thought nothing of it, and would have assumed it was the girls back from their trip to town, however there was no giggling or rustling of shopping bags. Suddenly, a small voice piped up.

“Hello?”

Patsy knew she was the only one in and was curious to see who this visitor was, so she opened her door and peered into the corridor. Standing there in the hallway was a petite girl with skin ever so slightly sun-kissed, her brunette hair pulled into a ponytail high on her head, a large plastic box in her arms and a large rucksack that looked to be half the size of her on her back. She turned to the sound of Patsy’s door opening and they locked eyes.

She was _gorgeous_.

For a split second, Patsy wondered if she was hallucinating because of the medicine she had taken, but feeling her cheeks flush to a colour not too different from her hair made her realise that the pretty girl down the hall was real. And _shit_. She was coming towards her. She was smiling so sincerely and with each step, her dimples grew and her blue eyes got brighter. Before Patsy had the chance to close her gaping mouth, she was stood right in front of her.

She let out a breathy chuckle, “Hello.”

Patsy shook her head and regained her composure, coughing gently before opening her mouth. “Hello.” She smiled shyly.

“I’m late, as you can see,” the pretty brunette blushed slightly, “so I missed registration and I don’t know what room I’m in. All I know is that I’m on this floor.” She glanced back up the corridor. “Is there a spare room left?”

Patsy got lost in her melodic Welsh accent as she spoke and only realised she hadn’t responded when she saw deep blue eyes staring at her.

“Sorry, yes! You’re in there.” She pointed to the door behind the brunette. “Opposite me.” She internally cringed at those last two words as soon as they left her mouth, a small cough escaping soon after. The brunette simply smirked.

“Oh, so I’ve got the room with a view.” She winked before turning and opening the door, much to Patsy’s relief. Her cheeks had managed to turn an even darker shade of red and she struggled to hide the grin that appeared on her face. She didn’t even know this girl’s name yet but she already felt more of a connection to her than all the other girls in the flat combined.

Patsy wasn’t sure what to do next: should she stay standing awkwardly in her doorway watching her new (gorgeous) neighbour explore her surroundings or should she just retreat and go back to putting her poster up (even though she knows that is _not_ what she would be concentrating on). It was almost as if her brain were screaming these thoughts out-loud as the brunette turned to her with an eyebrow raised and a small smirk on her lips.

“You’d be of more use in here helping than just stood there watching, you know. Even with that cough of yours Miss Should-Be-In-Bed.” She chuckled as she began pulling out the contents of her backpack onto her desk.

Patsy hung her head in shame slightly but couldn’t help but grin at the girl’s cheekiness. No one had ever made her feel this flustered and useless, and she knew that she needed to get a grip - she was Patience Mount for goodness sake! She was the one usually in control.

She straightened herself up, put on her cool and collected Patsy Mount face and sauntered into the brunette’s room, her confidence coming back with each step she took. She smiled as the brunette raised her head and headed straight for the box which had been placed on the bed. Lifting off the lid, she was greeted only by books, probably about 25 or so, all of them different sizes.

Patsy looked behind her at the short girl with her eyebrows furrowed. “Did you carry this box up those ten flights of stairs by yourself?”

The brunette turned to Patsy and chuckled when she saw the slightly confused look on her face. “Yes, I did… Why does that surprise you so much?”

Patsy raised her eyebrows as if it wasn’t obvious why she was surprised, “Because this probably weighs as much as you do!”

The brunette really laughed at that as she stepped over to the bed and picked up the box with ease, smirking as she took it back with her to the desk.

“Well my dad wasn’t wrong in calling me ‘Small but Mighty’ growing up,” she smiled, “however, unfortunately being mighty doesn’t help me in the vertical department so I’m going to need your help in putting some of these books on the shelf, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Patsy smiled genuinely and nodded as she began placing some of the heavier, larger books on the shelf and couldn’t help but let her mind drift to images of a younger version of the girl next to her. She could see her having brothers and never shying away from a play-fight in the garden, each game always ending up in tears and a bloody nose as the little scrapper wouldn’t go down without a fight.

When the last book had been placed on the shelf, both girls stood back to admire their work before turning and smiling at each other before Patsy had to turn her head as to not cough in the shorter girl’s face.

The brunette scrunched her nose up slightly, but exhaled a small laugh. “Thank you for your help.”

Patsy smiled back at her and they locked eyes again, lingering for slightly longer than one would ordinarily.

“It was my pleasure. Was that everything you brought with you or do you need any help bringing things up from downstairs?”

The brunette looked at her sheepishly. “Yeah, there are some more things I need to bring up but I’d feel bad asking you to help with that too. You should be in bed like I said earlier!”

Patsy laughed, “I appreciate your concern but I promise, I’m feeling a lot better than I did when I arrived and if I stayed in bed I’d just be wallowing in self-pity. Helping you is making me feel human again.” She smiled at the smaller girl who was looking at her with slightly narrowed eyes.

“Hmm, okay, if you’re sure… just try not to strain yourself with all my heavy boxes.” The brunette said as she made her way to leave the room, looking back to stick her tongue out playfully.

Patsy scoffed at the girl’s cheek and followed her from the room, “I think I’ll manage Miss Small-But-Mighty!”

The brunette laughed heartily as they reached the door to the stairs, turning to Patsy before opening it, “My name is Delia by the way.” She said as she stuck her hand out.

Patsy smiled widely at this new information, thinking instantly that it was perfect for the girl stood in front of her. She took Delia’s hand and shook it. “I’m Patience. Well, to my father anyway. To everyone else I’m Patsy.”

Delia returned her smile warmly and momentarily glanced down at their hands still clasped together, “Nice to meet you Patsy.”


End file.
